Refrigerator-car construction



Nov. 30

E. POSSON REFRIGERATOR CAR` CONSTRUCTION Filed may 21, 1920 6Sheets-Sheet 2 I. l I I l l f w mal 'afagarcf 190550?? ,f

Nov. 30 1926.

Filed May 2l. 1920 E. POSSON REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION 6Sheets-Sheet 4 Elda/27rd P05507?,

Nov. so, 1926. 1,608,956

. E. POS SON REFRIGERATOR GAR CONSTRUCTION Filed may 2l, 1920 6sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 30 1926. l 1,608,956

E.. PossQN REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed May 2l. 1920 esheets-sheet 6 Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD POSSON, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; HARRIS 'IRUST AND SAVINGS BANK ANDEGBERT H. GOLD, EXECUTORS F SAID EDWARD POSSON, DECEASED, ASSIGNORS T0FAY E. POSSON.

nnFmGEnAron-CAR CONSTRUCTION.

Application led May 21,

This invention relates to improvements in refrigerator cars and itspurpose is to provide a car of that type embodying an improved aircirculating system. The invention is particularly adapted for use withthe type of refrigerator car shown and described in my copendingapplication, which has now matured into patent No. 1,399,07 9

dated December G, 1921, wherein the rel frigerator car is divided intorefrigerant and refrigerating chambersby means of removablesectional'bullrheads capable of being moved into inoperative positionadjacent the roof of the car when the ice chambers are not in use. Theprincipal object of the invention is to provide improved means foreffecting a positive circulation of air through the interior of the car.A further object is to provide means operated by the movement of the carfor effecting an air circulation through the refrigerant andrefrigerating chambers. Still another object is to provide a Ventilatingdevice driven by the currents of air passing along the outside of thecar and associated with air passages within the car for positivelycirculating the refrigerated air through andaround the contents of therefrigerating chamber. A further feature of the invention is theprovision of an improved air circulating de-V vice and an improvedconstruction of the ear for permitting the circulation of airtherethrough. Other objects relate to various features of constructionand arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter. i

The nature ofthe invention'will be understood from the followingspecification taken with the accompanying drawings, in which oneembodiment. is illustrated.

In the drawings- Figure 1 shows a topplan view of a railway carembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal sectional View on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;,

Fig. 3 shows a transverse sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. l andon the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged vertical section detailed construction ofone ofthe air circulating devlces; Fg. 5 shows a plan view ofthe driving onthe line 4 4 of Fig. 1, illustrating the' 1920. Serial No, 383,319.

motor of the Ventilating device, the view being taken on the line 5 5 ofFig.` 4;

Fig. 6 shows a top plan view of the ventilating fan within the carshowing the connection of the air passages therewith, the view beingtaken on the line 6 6 of Fig. et; v

' Fig. 7 shows a horizontal sectional view on the line 7 7 of Fig. 2,looking in the direction of thearrows; and

Fig. 8 shows an elevation of one section of the bulkhead, looking fromthe interior of the ice chamber. l

The refrigerator car illustrated in the drawings comprisesilongitudinalcenter sills 10 and side sills 11 of metallic construction which supportthe wooden sill members 12 and the longitudinal side frame members 13,respectively. These frame members and the interminate sills 14 operatein conjunction With the end sills 15 to support the Hoor ofthe car,which comprises lower floor sheathing 16 which is spaced below the floorproper, designated by the numeral 17, leaving an intermediate space 18which may operate as an air space or may be filled with insulatingmaterial in order to prevent the entrance of heat to the interior of thecar. The side walls 20 of the car extend upwardly from the side sillmembers 13 and from the floor 17 and these side walls comprise theoutside sheathing 20El and inside' sheathing 20b secured to thelongitudinal rame members 21 and 22. The frame members 21 are wider thanthe frame `members 22 which are secured thereto, thus leaving shoulders23which are adapted to form seats for the intermediate plates 24. Theseplates 24 may be formed of heat insulating material or of wood and theyare adapted to provide intermediate air spaces between' these plates andthe inside and outside sheathing of the wall. The longitudinal sills 13are provided'with shoulders 13a to co-operate with the shoulders 23 andsimilar shoulders 223n are provided on the lower sides of the sideplates 25 which extend longitudinally of the car along the upperboundaries of the side walls.

A plurality of transverse carlines 26 extend between the side plates 25and support the purline plates 27. The carlines 426 and purline plates27 support the lower roof sheathing 28 which extends upwardly from theside plates 25 to the ridgepole 30. The

f wardly through the roof of the car and are bounded by the framemembers 38.

The licor 17 of the car suppo'rts a false floor 40 which comprises aplurality of longitudinal frame members 4()a resting on the floor andsupporting the transverse floor cleats 40b which are spaced apart sothat the circulationof air between the frame mem.

bers 40 and upwardly between the cleats 40b is permitted, as illustratedby the arrows in Fig. 2. The false floor terminates short of the ends ofthe carv and the upper surface thereof is adapted to lie :flush with theice supporting platforms 42 which are located adjacent the ends of thecar. These ice supporting platforms 42 comprise a plurality oflongitudinal frame members 43 spaced apart and having perforated vmetalplates 44 secured to the upper sides thereof. The frame members 43 areadapted to rest on the loor 17 which is provided adjacent each end ofthe car with a sheet metal covering 45 :forming a pan adapted to receivethe water which drains from the ice in the ice chamber. This' pan isrecessed adjacentv the end of the false floor 40 lto form a transversedrain channel 46. Each ice platform 42 is hinged at 42a so that it maybe swung upwardly adjacent the end wall of the car for the purposehereinafter described.

Each end wall ot the car comprises out side sheathing -47 and insidesheathing 48 supported by intermediate frame members 49. A plurality ofvertical frame members 50 are secured to the inside of the insidesheathing 48 and these frame members are adapted to support a woven wireinner wall l 51 so that a. free circulation et airv is provided 'tromthe ice chamber through the air spaces 52 between the vertical framemembers 50. These air spaces 52 communicate.

with the air spaces between the frame members 43 of the ice platforms sothat the cirveo culation of air downwardlyand longitudinally dif the carbeneath the false door 40 is permitted. l

Eachice chamber 55 'at the end ot the car is separated from theintermediate refrigerating chamber 56 by means of removablebulkhead 57,which extends transversely of the car and is made up of a plurality otcomplementary sections 58 vhaving' lugs 59 Lacasse at their ends adaptedto engage the slotted guideways 60 whichy extend vertically along theside walls. Tlieseguideways are provid` ed with platesv 61 which overlapthe heads 59a of the lugs so that the removal of the bulkhead sectionsfrom the guideways is prevented without interfering with the verticalsliding movement thereof. The ver tical guideways 60 communicate attheir up-V per ends with horizontal guideways 62 of similar constructionwhichpermit the bulkhead sections tobe moved into positions beneath theroof of the car when the refrigerant chambers 55 are not in use. Thesliding bulkhead sections 58 are preferably of solid construction exceptthat the lower section is provided with a plurality of holes 64 topermit the passage of air from the lower part ofthe ice chamber. Thespace between the upper sliding section ,58 and the roof 35 `:isoccupied by a hinged section 65 formed of woven wire 65a mounted on ametal frame 65h. This hinged section is adapted to be swung upwardly andfastened in a horizontal position beneath the ceiling when the bulkheadis not in use. A sheet of wire netting or a metal' plate 67 is securedto the inner side of each. bulkhead section 58,

`the sheet being attached to the bulkhead at ing member 72 in the formof an I-beam which Iis suspended by a bracket 73 mounted on alongitudinal track member 74. Thev bracket 73 extends 'around the trackmem-4 ber and is adapted to engage the notches 75 and 76 which areformed in the` ends of tbesetrack members. When the bracket 7 3 isengaging a notch 7 5, the lower end of the I-beam 72 is adapted toengage an aperture 77 in the ice supportingplatform 42, thus maintainingthe supporting member in contact with the bulkhead sections. When thebracket 73 engages the notch 76, the I-beam 72 is adaptedy to lie in arecess 78 which is formed between two of the vertical frame members 50attached'to the inner side o the end wall. When the supporting member 72occupies this recess. the lower end thereof is adapted to lie behind thetransverse plate 79. This plate operates in conjunction with the notch76 to hold the supporting member 72 in its inoperative position withinthe end wall when-the ice chamber is not 'in use,

lll)

and particularly when the car isbeing used' f ator car.

The forced ventilation is provided by a pair of air circulating devicesdesignated generally by the numeral 80. These devices are located onopposite sides of the running board 34 adjacent the center of the carand each device embodies a driving motor wheel 81 mounted on a verticalshaft 82. Each motor wheel is mounted above a plate or table 83 which islocated in a horizontal plane and supported by the transverselyextending members 84 secured to the roof 31 of the car. The motor wheel81 comprises upper and lower circular plates 85 having a plurality ofradiating vanes 86 mounted between them. These vanes have a plurality oftonguei 87 vformed integrally therewith along their edges and thesetongues are adapted to extend through apertures 88 in the disks 85,after which they are transversely bent, as shown in Figure 5, in orderto secure the parts of the wheel together. The disks 85 are secured to acentral hub 89 which fits on to the tapered portion' 90 ofthe shaft 82.The hub is secured in fixed position on the shaft by means of a nut 91which engages the threaded extremity of the shaft. -A cover plate 92 ismounted over each of the wheels 81 and these cover plates are spacedfrom and secured to the supporting tables 83 by means of the brackets 94and the bolts 95. The braeket 94 are in the form of quadrants, asillustrated in Figure 5, and they are arranged diametrieally oppositewith their extremities located in the planes of the longitudinal andtransverse axes of the car, so that an intervening quadrant of thedriving motor 81 is exposed to the currents of air set up by the motionof the ear when it moves in either direction.` Theie currents of air,supplemented by the natural currents of wind, will operate the motqrwheel 81 and thereby rotate the shaft v82. Inclined vanes 96 are mountedbetween the plates 83 and 92 and are directed outwardly from the ends ofthe brackets 94 so that they direct the wind from either side of the carinto the motor wheels.

A bushing 97 is secured tothe roof 31 at .the point where the shaftvpasses through it and this bushing is provided with a cup containingpacking material 98 which prevents the entrance of moisture through thespace around the shaft. lEach shaft and the parts carried thereby aresupported by a bearing sleeve 99 which is Secured to one of thelongitudinal purline plates 27 previously described. rlhis bearingsleeve 99 is provided with an enlarged recess 100 at its upper endadapted to receive an enlarged collar or Hange 101 which is formedintegrally with the shaft 82. A roller bearing comprising collars 102 ofangular cross-section and coacting spherical balls 103 is mounted in thelower end of the recess 100 to coact with the annular Harige 101,thereby supporting the shaft during its rotation. The lower end 0f thesleeve 99 isprovided witha recess 104 which supports another similarroller bearing 105 held in position by the nuts 106 engaging the lowerpart of the shaft. These roller bearings thus support the shaft againstmovement in either direction vertically. The lower tapered extremity ofthe shaft 82 is engaged by the hub 107 of a fan provided with aperturesadapted to be eni .gaged by the tongues 114 which are formed integrallywith the vanes 112 and bent transversely, as shown in Figure 6.

Each ventilating fan i. 108, is closed in toward the side walls of theear by means of the depending walls 115 whichare secured to the ceiling35. Plates 116 are secured to the lower edges of the walls 115 andextend inwardly therefrom beneath the outer p ortions of the wheels 108,leaving an intervening space 117 through which air is adaptel to bedrawn into each wheel. The side walls 115 are of the shape illustratedin Figure 6 and are connected to the side walls of longitudinal airchannels 120 which are secured to ceiling 35 and extend longitudinallvtherefrom, terminating somewhat short of the bulkheads 57.

'The air which is drawn in by the fan wheels 108 is discharged therebyin both directions longitudinally of the car through the air channels120. 'The air discharged from these channels passes through the hingedbulkhead sections 65, as illustrated by the arrows, and enters therefrigerant chambers The air is Vcooled in these chambers and passesdownwardly in the manner illustrated particularly in Figure 2,

vthrough thechannels 52 which are formed between the frame members 50and through the spaces which are formed on the inner sides of theperforated sheets 67 carried by the bulk-head sections 58.l The airpassing downwardlyl from these passageways lioins the air which passesthrough the perforated plate 44 at the bottom of the ice chamber andthis refrigerated air then circulates longitudinally of the car andpasses 'upwardly through the false floor 40, thereby mingling with thegoods contained .-within the storage chamber 56. The air-whieh passesupwardly through the storage charnber is drawn in by the Ventilatingfans through the spaces 117 and is again circulated through the car. '1nthis way a posi` tive circulation of the air is maintained and thispositive circulation is effected automatically `by the currents of airset up by the motion of the car. When the car is adapted to be used fora general purpose car, the bulkhead sections andthe supporting meanstherefor can be moved into position alongside of the walls and ceilingof the car, so

that no part of the bulkhead construction or of the air circulatingsystem interferes with the use of the car 'for general puroses.

Although I have shown and described one form of the invention forpurposes of illustration, it will bennderstood Athat itl may beconstructed in Various other ways without departing from the scope ofthe -appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in a refrigerator car of a bulkheaddividing the carinto refrigerant and refrigerating` chambers, a metal plate secured tosaid bulkhead in said refrierant chamber, and means for attaching saiplate to said bulkhead at intervals, said plate being bowed outwardlyfrom said bulkhead and provided with perforations between the points ofattachment.

2. The combination in a refrigerator car of a bulkhead dividing it intorefrigerant and refrigerating chambers, said bulkhead being providedwith perforated air channels on the side thereof towards saidrefrigerant chamber, and mechanical means for causing a positivecirculation of air from said refrigerating chamber through said bulkheadand through said air channels.

3. Thev combination in a refrigerator car of a bulkhead extendingtransversely of the car and dividing it into refrigerant andrefrigerating chambers,I and perforated plates secured to said bulkheadsections at intervals and bowed outwardly between the pointsofattachment to provide air circulating channels.

4. The combination in a refrigerator car of a plurality of complementarybulkhead sections movable to a position adjacent the roof of the car,and plates secured to'said sections to provide alining air channels whensaid sections are in bulkhead forming positlon.

5. The combination .in arefrigerator car of a sectional bulkheaddividing the car into refrigeratin' and refrigerant chambers, the

upper and ower sections of said bulkhead being perforated, means forlpermitting the movement of said sections into a position adjacent theroof of thecar, and means operative when said sections are in bulkheadforming position for causing a positive circulation of air from saidrefrigerating chamber through said upper perforated bulkhead section tosaid refrigerant chamber and back through the said lower bulkheadsection to said refrigcrating chamber.

vIn `testimony whereof, I have subscribed 'my name.

EDWARD PossoN.

